Three Levels of Text Discussion Guide1
Purpose
To deepen understanding of a text and explore implications for participants’ work.
Facilitation
Stick to the time limits. Each round takes up to 5 minutes per person in a group.
Roles
Facilitator/timekeeper (who also participates)
Participants
Process
First, identify the facilitator/timekeeper. Group members should review discussion norms (e.g., one speaker at a
time, reference the text in your discussion, avoid anecdotal embellishment, etc.)
If participants have not done so ahead of time, have them read the text and identify passages (and a
couple of back-ups) that they feel may have important implications for their understanding of the course’s core
content and “big ideas.”
A Round consists of:
 One person using up to 3 minutes to:
 LEVEL 1: Read aloud the passage she/he has selected


LEVEL 2: Say what s/he thinks about the passage (interpretation, connection to past experiences, etc.)
 LEVEL 3: Say what s/he sees as the impact of this passage on his/her work.
The group responding (for a total of up to 5 minutes) to what has been said.
After all rounds have been completed, debrief the process. What did you hear? How did it change your thinking or
ratify some of your earlier ideas? What new questions does this conversation invite for you?
1
Adapted by the Southern Maine Partnership from Camilla Greene’s Rule of 3 Protocol, 11/20/03. Available online at
http://nsrfharmony.org/protocol/doc/3_levels_text.pdf.